Relationship between Empowerment, Teamwork, and. Job Satisfaction of Municipalities employees at North Khorasan Province, Iran1

Transcription

1 Relationship between Empowerment, Teamwork, and Job Satisfaction of Municipalities employees at North Khorasan Province, Iran1 Corresponding author Ebrahim Akrami* 2 Department of Management, Aliabad katoul Branch, Islamic Azad University, Aliabad katoul, Iran Habib Allah Najafi Hezarjaribi 3 Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Payame Noor University, Iran Research Article Volume 7 Issue 1-March2017 Copyright All rights are reserved by Vikas Minchekar Abstract: The aim of this study is to consider the relationship between the employee s empowerment, teamwork, and job satisfaction in the municipalities of North Khorasan province. This study in terms of purpose is practical and in terms of nature and method is a description of gauging research. Statistical society of this research consists of 2274 persons who are the municipal employees of North Khorasan province. According to the Cochran formula and a simple and random sampling, 329 samples were obtained. Based on the results of the research hypothesis, there is a meaningful relationship between the employees empowerment and job satisfaction. Furthermore, there is a meaningful relationship between teamwork and job satisfaction which was approved. Keywords: Employee, Empowerment, Job satisfaction, Teamwork. Introduction Nowadays, the empowerment is the most significant challenge for managers because the organizations are exposed to the rapid and unpredictable changes. The main causes of these 1. This paper is derived from the second author's MA thesis. 1

2 changes are ever-increasing global competitions, IT development, and the changes in customer demands. The first step in defining the empowerment refers to its limits and borders. Some believe that the empowerment means to empower the employees, but the others reject this definition. According to the fact that the employees are fund of knowledge and motivation and are able to do this job in the best way, they believe that the empowerment means to set the stage for releasing this potential power (Konczak et al : 301). The history of the first definition of the empowerment refers to In this year, the empowerment is defined as a delegation at the organizational role in which the authority given to the recipient should be considered as his organizational role (Wilkinson 2, 2014: 321). Sprietzer acknowledged that the empowerment is a multidimensional concept and it has different meanings. Sprietzer called this kind of definition as an organic approach. According to this approach the empowerment is not what the managers should do for the employees, but it is the employees attitudes and perceptions of their roles in the organization. Nevertheless, managers can provide more opportunities for the employees empowerment (Sprietzeret 3 al, 2014: 700). As a result, the empowerment of the employees is the only way to overcome the uncertainty, complex, and dynamic conditions (Ziyaee et al, 2008). The empowerment is applied as a management technique in response to the business needs of organizations on a global scale (Johnson 4, 2014: 12). Job satisfaction is a complex and multi-dimensional concept which is related to the various physical, mental, and social factors. Job satisfaction is the essential condition of a person s presence and cooperation with the organization. Therefore, job satisfaction plays a significant role in increasing productivity, commitment to the organization, warranty of the physical health, accelerating learning new job skills, and boosting morale of a person. If we accept that in any organization human resources are the most important elements for achieving the goals, the 2. Wilkinson 3. Sprietzer 4. Johnson 2

3 attention to the demands and needs of these human resources are supposed as the main proceedings of the managers. Attention to their demands can lead to job satisfaction. Therefore, the scrutiny of factors associated with the employee s job satisfaction is of paramount importance. It is important to note that job satisfaction is one of the factors which can influence on the behavior and performance of the employees in the organization (Robbins 5, 1377: 180). In recent years, team work is known as one of the tools used in response to the competitive challenges; so that it is considered as a way to increase organizational flexibility and as a way to achieve more advantages like reduction of administration costs, acceleration of time order, innovation, taking the effective decisions, higher work ethic, and better customer service (Morgan and Lassiter 6, 2010: 80). In the last few decades, teamwork in organizations is increased significantly. Based on evidences in the middle of 1350, more than fifty percent of manufacturing companies in England used team groups in their own organizations (Parker and William 7, 2001:470). During the past twenty years, the factors like the teamwork, team performance, and measurement of group performance are taken into consideration. As the team groups have increased in organizations, the tendency for measuring team group proficiency is increased among scholars. Team work is an identifiable collection of behaviors, perceptions and attitudes which during the work the members of the group share. Literature review Dabbaghi et al. (1392) did a research entitled the study of the relationship of psychological empowerment with job satisfaction in various military forces and the research has a descriptive cohesion method. The results of this research showed that there is a meaningful and positive relationship between job satisfaction and all components of psychological empowerment. The results of the research analysis acknowledged that among the predictor variables, the general psychological empowerment is the first and the most important variable for predicting job 5. Robbins 6. Morgan B. B, & Lassiter, D. L 7. Parker, S.K., William, H.M 3

4 satisfaction and it could predict 0.78 variations of the criterion variable. Afterward, the meaningful variable, the effective variable, and the variable of competency were entered into the equation and they respectively determined 0.81, 0.82, and 0.83 variations of the criterion variable. Mirkamali et al. (1388) did a research entitled the study of the relationship of the psychological empowerment with job satisfaction and organizational commitment among the employees of Tehran University. They used an analytical and descriptive method for their research. The results of Pearson s correlation test showed there is a meaningful and positive relationship between job satisfaction with the psychological empowerment and its subscales such as meaningfulness, selfdetermination, competency, and efficacy. There is a positive relationship the organizational commitment with all the components of psychological empowerment except the competency component. Moreover, there is a meaningful relationship between the psychological empowerment with the organizational commitment, but there is no relationship the empowerment with a component of uninterrupted commitment. Finally, the results of Regrison s analysis determined that the subscales such as meaningfulness, self-determination, and competency participated respectively in predicting job satisfaction. Other components like meaningfulness and self-determination participated in predicting the organizational commitment of the employees. A research was done by Holdsworth and Cartwright 8 (2003) to examine the relationship between the dimensions of psychological empowerment, job stress, and job satisfaction among the states of call center. From this research they concluded that there is a meaningful and positive relationship between job satisfaction and three dimensions of the psychological empowerment such as meaningfulness, self-determination, and competency. According to the researchers these three dimensions are meaningful predictors of job satisfaction. Laschyngr and Manvl Albion 9 (2002) concluded in their study that it is possible to increase job satisfaction among the nurses through the psychological empowerment and improvement of job status. In this research, the impact of the above conditions on job satisfaction is 38 percent. 8. Holdsworth, Lynn & Cartwright, Susan 9. Las Chyngr and Manvl Albion 4

5 Results of nursing job satisfaction in eight areas across the country showed that the satisfaction of most of the nurses about job environment is (62/9 percent), (colleagues communication (69/9 percent), job position status (74/3 percent), supervision (57/6 percent), management policy (50 percent), and relevancy of personal life (80/6 percent). All these results suggest that nurses satisfaction of these conditions is moderate. In the event that, the satisfaction of job security (63/6 percent) and salary (77/3 percent) are at a low level. Totally, 87/2 percent of them had a moderate satisfaction. Research Hypothesis There is a relationship between the empowerment and job satisfaction of municipalities employees in North Khorasan province. There is a meaningful relationship between teamwork and job satisfaction of the municipality's employees in North Khorasan province. Method Due to the functional goal and the method of this research, it is a description of gauging research. Statistical society of this research which refers to the municipalities employees of North Khorasan province is 2274 persons. These statistics are obtained from the municipal office. According to the Cochran and a simple and random sampling, 329 samples were obtained. For reducing errors, 343 questionnaires were distributed from which 329 samples were returned. A questionnaire is a tool for collecting data which is as follows: Teamwork For assessing teamwork, Huggel and Gmuynden questionnaires are used. These two questionnaires consist of 37 questions are as follows: Aspects of communication (7 questions), coordination (4 questions), endeavor (3 questions), mutual support (6 questions), taking a decision (4 questions), and correlation (10 questions). Empowerment 5

6 For empowerment assessment, Sprietzer empowerment questionnaire is used. It has five dimensions which evaluate the aspects which are as follows: the concept of meaningful jobs (3 questions), sense of competence on jobs (4 questions), to have right to choose (3 questions), to feel to be effective (3 questions), and partnership with others (6 questions). Job satisfaction For assessing the job satisfaction, Minehsuta questionnaire is used. It consists of the inner satisfaction (7 questions), the external satisfaction (11 questions), and public satisfaction (2 questions). The questionnaires were distributed among professors and consultants. After accepting the reliabilities of the results, they were distributed among the statistical society of the research and results are as follows: stability of the empowerment questions 0.886, teamwork 0.733, and job satisfaction SPSS is a software which is used for data analization. In inferential statistics, Pearson and Regression correlation could be used in order to analyze the data. Results Based on data analysis, 240 persons (72.9 %) who participated in the test were male and 89 persons (27.1%) were female. Chart (1). Gender Amplitude Distribution 6

7 Male: 72.9 Female: 27.1 In relation to the age classes, 20 persons (6.1) are between 20 to 30 years old, 130 persons (39.5) are between 31 to 40 years old, 93 person (28.3) are between 41 to 50 years old, and 86 persons (56.1) are between 51 years old and more than that. Age 39/ /3 26/ / Age Age Age Age Chart (2). Age Amplitude Distribution Research Hypothesis Test There is a significant and meaningful relationship between the empowerment and job satisfaction of municipalities employees in North Khorasan province. The correlation is The determination is which shows that percent of the changes in the employee empowerment are related to the employees job satisfaction and the remaining amounts are related to the other factors. The problem with this method is that the numbers of the freedom degree are not considered, so to fix this problem an adjusted determination is used which is in this test. By promoting one unit of the employee empowerment, unit of job satisfaction are increased. T test which refers to regression in the following table shows that this is meaningful (sig=0.000) and influences on job satisfaction. Table (1) Hypothesis Test 7

8 Correlatin Determination Corrected F B T Significant extermination degree Fixed Amount Employees Empowerment The relationship between teamwork and job satisfaction of the municipalities employees in North Khorasan province is significant. The correlation is The determination is which shows that percent of the changes in the employees empowerment are related to the employees job satisfaction and the remaining amounts are related to the other factors. The problem with this method is that the numbers of the freedom degree are not considered, so to fix this problem an adjusted determination is used which is in this test. By promoting one unit of the employees empowerment, unit of job satisfaction is increased. T test which refers to Regresion in the following chart shows that this is meaningful (sig=0.000) and influences on job satisfaction. Table (2). Hypothesis Test Correlatin Determination Corrected F B T Significant extermination degree Fixed amount Teamwork

9 Conclusion According to the results of the research hypothesis, there is a meaningful relationship between the employee empowerment and job satisfaction of the municipalities employees in North Khorasan province. The results of this study are consistent with researches of Dabbaghi and colleagues (1393) and Mirkamali and colleagues (1388). Moreover, results of Holdsworth and Cartwright (2003) show that there is a positive and meaningful relationship between job satisfaction and three dimensions of psychological empowerment which are meaningfulness, self-determination, and efficacy. According to the results of these three dimensions are meaningful and significant predictors of job satisfaction. Laschyngr and Manulvich (2002) concluded in their research that it is possible to increase job satisfaction among the nurses through the psychological empowerment and improvement of job status. In explaining the research hypothesis, it is notable that recognition of the relationship which is between the psychological empowerment and job satisfaction of the municipalities employees can provide relevant information for authorities to take decisions. It can help them to use appropriate methods for improving the efficacy of municipalities. Although the employees empowerment is the major and the effective component of management, it does not always guarantee success. But success depends on the compatibility with the needs, goals, organizational culture, and attitude of the employees. It is essential that organizations endeavor with sufficient knowledge of the factors which affect the empowerment and adjusting the conditions in order to increase the employees job satisfaction. According to the second hypothesis of research, there is a meaningful relationship between teamwork and job satisfaction of the municipalities employees in North Khorasan province and it was confirmed. In explaining the research hypothesis, it is important to say that job satisfaction is a theoretical variable that express the employees feelings and attitudes towards their jobs. Job dissatisfaction represents the individual and job problems. For as much as teamwork among the employees is at a high level, job satisfaction is high. Teamwork has advantages both for the employees as well as for the organization. One of these advantages is the enhancement of job satisfaction that according to the results there is a positive relationship between two variables. 9

10 Based on the results of research, some recommendations are as follows: It is suggested that municipal managers of North Khorasan province can reinforce self- confidence and taking responsibility in their employees through giving the freedom of action and decision-making power to them. Finally, these options lead to improve the ability of the employees. It is suggested that managers of various departments in the municipalities of North Khorasan province reinforce the abilities of the employees through taking advantage of the recommendations to increase employees comments in the decision-making process. It is suggested that the employees empowerment programs should be designed in such a way that they lead to provide job satisfaction increase sense of competence in a job which lead to the abilities of the employees. It is suggested that the managers give their employees the freedom and the independence at work, so that they be able to determine the methods and speed of tasks. It is suggested that municipal managers of North Khorasan province should emphasize on delegation of authority and on collaborative management. Managers aware their employees of their roles and duties through engaging them with the responsibilities. It is suggested that human resource managers of municipalities in North Khorasan province encourage their employees to participate in the development of strategies and planning. References 1] Dabbaghi, Parviz. Tehran, Arsiya. Mina Shiri, Abdolkhalegh (2013). Study of the Relationship between Psychological Empowerment and Job Satisfaction in Various Military Forces, Ibn Sina Quarterly Report, Nahaja Health Administration, 15-3, 44. 2] Robbins, Stephen (2009). Organizational Demeanor, Concepts, Theories, and Usages, Vol.3, Ali Parsaeian and Seyed Mohammad Arabi, Tehran, Cultural Research Publications. 10

11 3] Mirkamali, Dr. Seyed Mohammad. Hayat, Aliasghar. Norouzi, Ali and Jarahi, Nazanin (2011). Study of the Relationship of Psychological Empowerment with Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment among Tehran University Employees, Daneshvar Scientific Bimonthly, Upbringing and Social Behavior, Shahed University, 16,39. 4] Holdsworth, Lynn & Cartwright, Susan (3002). Empowerment, Stress and Satisfaction: an exploratory Study of a call center, Leadership & Organization Development Journal Vol. 32, No. 2, pp ] J. Chandan, (2014), "Organizational Behavior". New Dehli: Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd. 6] Konczak, L.J. & et al. (2000). Defining and Measuring Empowering Leader Behavior: Development of an Upward Feedback Instrument. Educational and Psychology Measurement. Vol. 60. No, 2: ] Morgan B. B, & Lassiter, D. L. (2010) "Team composition and staffing", In R. W. Swezey & Salas, E. (Eds.), Teams: Their Training and Performance, Norwood, NJ: Ablex, pp: ] Parker, S.K., William, H.M. (2001) "Effective team working: reducing psychological risks", Health and Safety Executive. 9] Sprietzer, G.M. Kizilos, M.A. & Nason, S.W. (2014). A Dimensional Analysis of the Relationship between Psychological Empowerment and Effectiveness, Satisfaction, and Strain. Journal of management. Vol. 23. No, 5: ] Wilkinson, B. (2014). The Shop Floor Politics of New Technology. Heinemann. London. 11